Google Maps Rolls Out Motorcycle Directions in Southeast Asia

Hanoi’s seemingly unending sea of motorcycles—somehow managing not to crash into each other, even as they drive mere inches apart—can be utterly bewildering to first-time visitors. But as any seasoned Southeast Asia traveler will tell you, renting a scooter as a tourist actually opens up both cities like Hanoi and the countryside in a whole new way: It can be a little scary at first, but once you become one with the flow, it’s actually pretty damn fun. Now, Google Maps is turning down the intimidation factor of hitting the streets of Southeast Asia on a motorcycle, thanks to a navigation mode designed for getting around on two motorized wheels.

After piloting ‘motorcycle mode’ in India last December, Google Maps announced this week it’s bringing motorcycle directions to Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam, too. The option works in addition to the driving, walking, and public transit directions that already exist on the platform. The new mode takes into account motorcycle speeds when calculating trip times and will send you down alleyways that cars can’t fit through. It will also avoid toll roads where motorcycles are prohibited and even use landmarks instead of street names, taking into account the lack of street signs in some parts of the region and the difficulty of finding them when you’re also navigating traffic on a motorbike. (“Turn left at Jakarta Hospital” is a lot easier than trying to find the sooted-over sign for Jalan Garnisun, especially when you’re making sure you don’t get barreled over by a bus.)

Google Maps’ head of product Krish Vitaldevara explained that the goal is to make directions clear enough that drivers would be able to memorize the route before hitting the road, or at least rely on audio prompts versus having to look at their device, The Verge reports.

The feature is being rolled out on Google’s Android platform, with an eventual, but unspecified, expansion to iOS coming soon. There’s no word on when we might see motorbike directions come to the Western Hemisphere, but it makes sense why Google has headed to Southeast Asia first: The feature is now available in three of the four largest motorcycle markets in the world—India, Indonesia, and Vietnam (Mainland China’s censorship of Google sites might explain why the feature has been rolled out in Taiwan and Hong Kong for now, instead.)